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Tryftfallen
Tryftfalln (colloquially, known as Vod) is a major city in Vodria. Prominent industries include mining, education, manufacturing, and engineering, as well as tourism. Kisu moves to the city to live with her uncle Senaka at the end of the first book. History Origins Vod traces its origins to shortly after the fall of Vodria to the Empire when a collection of miners' shanties sprouted up in the area known as Tryftfalen (pronounced "trift-fallen" and translated "Ninepeaks") along one of the headwaters for the mighty Swoll River, the River Pale. The small village was known as Pal-Spogc (paul-shbok). Growth The town's altitude and isolation, as well as the lack of infrastructure and economic development throughout Vodria, meant that it grew but slowly. Then, with the discovery of sweet iron around 700 MA, the area's population and investment exploded and the area soon grew into a major mining and manufacturing hub. An Imperial academy of sciences soon followed. During this time, the town began to be called Tryftfalln. Provincial Capital With all the investment and immigration into the area, the city's leaders (gcezentzündlau) petitioned to the Wodrian Confederation for independent representation in its councils. The Confederation council demarcated land around the city as the new district Ooden-Pāl (pronounced like "wooden pail" and translated to "Vod-upon-Pale"). As the largest town and only Imperial city (clemensa) in its province, locals and travelers alike use the provincial title when referencing the city, usually shortening it to "Vod." Geography Terrain Vod sits in an alpine valley carved between two spurs of the Steepled Mountains. The northern/eastern spur consists of the Megctfalen (meaning "Three-peaks") and the Bredfalen (meaning "Salt-peaks"). The southern/western spur is called the Rangct Drammen (meaning "Goose Mountains") or Manerfalen (meaning "Five-peaks"). For those counting, while it is clear which summits belong to Megctfalen and Manerfalen, it is unclear which peaks constitute Tryftfalen (the Bredfalen have between 4 to 6 summits depending on how one counts). The Counting of Tryftfalen is a source of local debate, humor, and even musical inspiration. In the center of the city is a rocky protuberance called the Blidramma (or "River-mount"). On the hill's north is the Paulzneet (Pālsnit, translated "Mountain Lake of the Pale River"). Boroughs (Gcezentoften) Main article: Boroughs of Vod The city consists of a large number of boroughs, called gcezentoften (pronounced "geh-zen-tof-ten") in Vodish. They are the primary administrative unit of the the city. Generally, the older parts of the city sit higher and more north and west. The newer parts of the city sit lower, south, and east. * Paulshboc - (also, Pālspögc) This was initially the oldest part of the city, but it was rebuilt around ???. It escaped the destruction of the ??? Flood which wiped out much of the newer, lower town. It is an old and somewhat wealthy area, though much of the infrastructure is in poor shape due to age. * Paulzneet - The name of the small lake in the north of the city, just south of Paulshboc, as well as the neighborhood surrounding it. It was rebuilt after the catastrophic flood in ??? following extensive reinforcements for flood prevention. The area is very quaint, retaining much of the features of an old Vodish mountain town, and is very popular among tourists. * Academy Borough - This area covers much of the rocky rise west of the Paulzneet. The Imperial Academy is here, as is Blidramma Park. On its west, it adjoins the Bredfli (pronounced "bred-fly") River and includes the many water mills on its shores (which now function as academic housing). * Blidramma (Blidramrr) - (pronounced "bly-drah-mah") The Blidramma borough covers the remaining southern part of the Blidramma hill. It is incredibly wealthy. * Braidshboc (Brēdsbögc) - (pronounced "braid-shbok") This district is the northernmost and highest borough. The famous Stairs of Fortune lies in this district. This was completely leveled twice due to flooding. After the second destruction, it was briefly used as a trash dump; however, following the completion of the Imperial dam, the area was soon covered in stone and spruce manses for the city's wealthy. * Terminal Borough - The area south of Blidramma and Paulzneet contains the old Elmerzneet railroad terminal, a regional icon. It is an administrative, commercial, and transport area. The city governmental, Imperial representative, Conciliar Legatorial, and commercial offices are located here. * Bredfli-Iynad or Bredfli-hillside - The area lies on the eastern side of the Bredfli and is wealthy and commercial. * Bredfli-Zdam or Bredfli Dramma - The area lies on the western side of the Bredfli. * Bowment/Bownament (Bōn-ëmënt) - Named after a Mikadoan chapel constructed by immigrants just before the sweet iron boom. It is the quietest borough and a little difficult to reach as it has only one trolley stop. It is popular among the wealthy and retirees. * Vetlend/Vetland '''- the site of old many old ironworks. It alternates between the wealthy (near the rivers) and student cooperative housing (a bit grungy and cool) * '''Fettrfli (Vetlbli) - (pronounced "fetter-fly") Named after a small river feeding the Bredfli, it once housed ironworks and iron miners. It is quaint and popular among the wealthy, students, and tourists alike. * Vaiked '(''Vākëd) - (rhymes with "naked") A small neighborhood between Braidshboc and Fetterfli. Its a mix of small, kitschy stores (many bookstores), student housing, and tourist inns. A few of the original water mills still stand. Most of the steam mills have been converted to salons or housing. * '''Mikklewood (Mëgcl-ööd) -''' '(pronounced "mickle-wood") Originally tenements for the employees of the Mikkelwood Fettrshboc Kompäni, the riverside property was redeveloped following a destructive flood by the Lumano Bros. There is little left of the original working class neighborhood; it has been fully gentrified and is quite glitzy along the waterfront. Economy In the last hundred years, Vod's economy has successfully diversified to include tourism, education, engineering, and architecture in addition to its foundational mining and manufacturing industries. Mining Salt and Hard Iron Vod began as a mining settlement, as individual families settled the Tryftfallen valley and worked shallow mines along the abutting ranges for hard iron and Tryftfallen salt. Due to the lack of infrastructure, however, the work was barely profitable. Salt deposits were located deep in the mountains and manual extraction of hard iron is tremendously tedious. The introduction of equipment and construction of transportation (rail and road) significantly contributed to the development of salt and iron extraction. Today, salt and iron mining still occurs higher in the mountains above the city. The older mines nearer to the city are no longer active, either having run dry or, especially in the case of salt mines, having been turned into spas, shrines, and other tourist attractions. Sweet Iron Sweet iron was discovered around 700 MA when a local miner began noticing changes in an iron vein he was working. Word of the discovery traveled and soon prospectors and investors were pouring in from all over the Empire and beyond. The Imperial government itself took notice and began significant investment in the city's sweet iron production. Though the production of sweet iron has declined significantly over the past 50-100 years, many of the mines are still active. Manufacturing Manufacturing in Vod existed early in the city's history as enterprising landowners built small water mills harnessing the fast flow of the Pale and the Bredfly to grind ore, saw lumber, and cut stone. Yet, such manufacturing in Vod persisted on a small-scale as most of the raw resources were hauled, floated, or steamed to the manufacturies to the south. However, by the mid-8th century, several factors prompted companies to open or move their business to Vod itself rather than ship the ore and salt down-river. First, the surge of sweet-iron prospectors and their hangers-on provided a pool of cheap labor. Second, the Empire finished a railroad link from Vod to Elmerzneet in ''Ooden-Tfaftrrisl (pronounced "wooden-t'faft-gistle" and translated "Vod-in-Tfaftgistle"), with the new terminal installed just south of the old Paulshboc area near Paulzneet. Third, and perhaps most importantly for the growing city, the Empire dammed the Pale above the city, reducing springtime flooding and minimizing the risk of catastrophic mudslides and debris flows. Soon, the city was expanding south and east with new mills and manufacturies. Despite the break-neck growth two centuries ago, manufacturing in Vod has started to decline due to the lower output of sweet iron and the higher cost of labor. Education The discovery of sweet iron at Vod coincided with both the rise in scientific acceptance of Ephthertese physics and the launch of the Imperial Conquest of West Shuret. The Empire's new interest in scientific study and the growing pressure to develop sweet iron's military applications led the Empire to purchase the north side of Blidramrr (blee-dramah), a rocky hill in the center of the town and there build the fourth Imperial Academy of Science (this is akin to a state-school technical college). The institution remains one of the finest technical schools in the world, drawing scholars from all over the Imperial commonwealth. Tourism The number of people visiting Vod expanded rapidly after the Western Wars ended. The old town's quaint charm, mountain vistas, mild weather, iconic buildings, underground salt spas, downhill skiing, mountaineering, and good transportation have made the city a favorite vacation spot in the region. Transportation External Vod is connected to the Imperial Railway via the Tuskian line. It boasts a number of express and local lines. Five years ago, the Empire began construction of the Trans-Steeples Tunnel just outside of Vod, with the intention of completing a direct rail link between East and West Shuret. The project is expected to finish in 15-20 years. Water routes are less-used than before, due to the success of their alternative: rail. Nevertheless, travel and transport via river was an important link to the city in earlier days. Vod boasts an all-class tether-port for airships. Internal An old, but well-maintained mechanical trolley system connects Vod's many boroughs Politics Vod is the Provincial seat of Vod-upon-Pale, one of nineteen confederated provinces of Wodria. Demographics The majority of Vod's inhabitants are Vodish. A large number of coastal people live in the city. Only a handful of Eastern peoples reside in the city, though the recent troubles in that region have increased the number of refugees seeking work in the city. Category:Imperial Cities